It Can't Hurt, Right?
by Lunette17
Summary: Pre-Avengers: The story about a normal young-adult girl, Ellie, who becomes increasingly curious about this man who comes into her coffee shop every day. This man just happens to be Dr. Bruce Banner, but Ellie doesn't quite know that yet. Will her curiosity about this man get the best of her in the end? Let's hope not.


Hey everyone! This is my first fanfic that I have ever published on here, so bear with me. I obviously do not own Avengers, Bruce Banner/Hulk, or anything related to Marvel. Rates and reviews would be nice, so you can tell me what you liked about the story or what I should work on. School starts in less than a week for me, so probably after Chapters 2 or 3, the uploads will be a little farther apart. It probably seems a little boring in this chapter, but like I said before, bear with me.

* * *

"I need a miracle, I wanna be your girl, give me the chance to see that you were made for me!" was blasting through the speakers in the living room CD player. Even with my bedroom door shut and blankets and pillows over my head I could hear Ria playing "Miracle" by Cascada! I groaned and threw my covers off and onto the floor. I rose slowly from my bed and stretched.

My name is Eleanor Thomas, Ellie for short. I am twenty years old and live in Columbus, Ohio with my best friend, Ria. I am 5'5" with shoulder length blond hair and brown eyes. Ria is around 5'8" with long, wavy black hair and emerald eyes.

I work at Beans, a small coffee shop on the outskirts of the city. I am paid minimum wage and work horrible hours, usually starting at five in the morning. Ria on the other hand works at Tune City, a music store where she met her boyfriend of two years, Luke Jacobs. Luke plays guitar in a band called "Behind the Door." I've never heard them play, but Ria says they're good.

Me? I'm single. I've been single for almost two years. My last boyfriend, Alex, stayed with me 'til he got what he wanted from me, then he left. Needless to say, I just have trust issues now with guys. I will see good-looking guys and flirt with them, but that's all the farther it goes.

It was still dark outside, but the sun was beginning to rise as I put on my work uniform. When I finished tying my apron, I went into the living room where Ria was heading out the door. "Where are you going?" I asked while pulling on a jacket. Even though spring was almost over it was still chilly in the mornings.

"To go see Luke off. He is heading to Philly today. They booked a gig!" she yelled excitedly as she literally skipped out the door. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Good for them I suppose.

I only lived about eight blocks from Beans, so I walked every morning. A light wind blew my hair all over the place. Lovely. Now I look like shit. I pulled my jacket tighter around me as I yawned. I passed a construction site and was so busy being nosy that I nearly tripped on a small ledge in the sidewalk. I looked up to see some construction workers snickering. I am graceful. Being the snarky person that I am I called over to them, "If I were you, I'd spend less time gawking at women and more time working on that building. I've seen the work you do, and trust me, you need all the time you can put into it." They stopped laughing and I felt like I won a battle. With that, I was off again to work.

After an agonizing twenty-minute walk, it would have been fifteen if I hadn't stopped to pick up a newspaper. Nothing interesting was in it, so I tossed it in recycling when I strolled through the front door to work. I fixed my hair in the bathroom and took all the time I needed to do it. I was in no need to hurry. The first customer always comes in around six.

Mr. Legain always orders a caramel frappe on his way to the office on 21st Ave. Brittany and Brianna Nary get cappuccinos before school every day. Guess I won't be seeing them every day soon; school is almost out for summer. Stefano Garcia orders a black coffee before he heads to construction. He probably works with the people I told off earlier this morning. I get to know my customers pretty well because they come in every day and we will chat for a while before they head out the door again.

But there is this one man who comes in around 7:30 each morning. He never says a word to me except his order, an iced coffee. He doesn't sit in the café either, he just leaves. I characterize him as lonely, quiet, an outcast. Everyone else that walks in makes an effort to have small talk, but this guy just leaves. I have no idea where he works or even what his name is! No one does.

Around 7:25 my best friend in the whole world walks in. No one was in line, so she just strolled up to the counter. "Well he's gone!" she basically yelled, tears already in her eyes.

"It's only for a short time, Ri. He'll be back soon," I tried to sympathize with her.

"A week! I have to survive a week without my love! How will I do that, Ellie?" she wailed.

"You are so over-dramatic. Why don't you quit your job and go be in a soap opera like you watch?" I joked smiling.

"I love how much you support me, Elles," Ria said throwing her hands up in the air dramatically.

*RIIING*

The door to the coffee shop opened and rang those annoying bells most businesses have. "Iced Coffee" walked in the door and began to take money out of his wallet. I began calling him "Iced Coffee" because I have no idea what his name is. Ria gingerly stepped out of the way of the man as he approached the counter. He was about my age and had short brown hair. He wore glasses, but they were pushed onto the top of his head today. He had some scruff on his chin. The man was a little taller than me and all-in-all he was pretty attractive.

Like always he ordered his same old drink. I turned around to make his drink and could feel someone watching me, but it's probably just Ria. But when I turned back around I noticed it was _him_ looking at me. Ria was looking him over. Oh great, what is she plotting now? I placed his drink on the counter, he pays, takes his drink, and out the door he goes.

Ria threw her hands up again. "Why didn't you say anything to him? He was totally checking you out!" she declared loudly. Did I mention she was a loud person?

"He is just a quiet guy and he was _not_ checking me out," I said sheepishly. I do kind of think he was checking me out. I had to admit to myself that I checked him out too.

She leaned her elbows on the counter. "When are you going to give guys another chance?" she wondered.

I shrugged. "When I can trust them not to use me," I retorted. I began cleaning the counter with a rag.

"Will you give that guy a chance? You aren't going to be able to trust them without getting to know them first," she asked standing straight up again. I knew she meant Iced Coffee.

I pondered this for a minute. This guy could be a complete creep. Or he could be the sweetest man on the earth… I decided to take a chance with the latter. But I am only going to try friendship first. We'll see if friendship gets us anywhere. "Fine. I'll talk to him tomorrow. He comes in every day," I sighed.

Ria's eyes lit up and she hugged me over the counter. "Yay! And to celebrate your interest in guys again, let's have a movie night at home!" she once again yelled loudly. Thank god that the coffee shop was basically empty except for an old man.

"Let me guess. We are going to watch Brave?" I said rolling my eyes because I already knew the answer. Brave was our go-to movie. I feel as if we watch it every night. She just nodded excitedly.

"Well I better hit the road. The music store is calling my name. See ya, Elles!" she called as she ran out the door and in the direction of her work.

Still cleaning the counter, the old man came up to me and handed me $5. "What's this for?" I asked while holding the money back out to him.

He smiled. "You have to put up with that crazy girl. I figure I should give you something for that," he chuckled lightly. And with that he left. I just laughed.

Back at the apartment that night, Ria and I were huddled together on the couch covered up with God knows how many blankets watching Brave. The movie ended at about 11:00 and I was ready for bed. "I'm gonna hit the sack. I'm exhausted," I said yawning.

"So you're really gonna give that guy a chance tomorrow?" she asked returning my yawn.

"I'm going to befriend him tomorrow, Ria. Or at least his name," I chuckled.

She glared at me. "But—" she began to plead.

I cut her off, "Friendship first, then _maybe_ more than that. Don't rush it." And with that I was off to bed. I walked down the hall and into my room. I flopped onto my tiny twin-size bed (Ria and I had switched beds because Luke slept over a lot. So she got the queen, while I got the twin).

I was having trouble falling asleep, so of course my mind wandered to Iced Coffee. I really need to learn his name. Why am I so curious about him? Am I just desperate for a man right now? No…I'm not desperate, I'm just curious that's all. Hey, it can't hurt right?


End file.
